Lariats and rodeo ropes including ropes used for calf roping, team roping (heading and heeling), and steer roping have been used for over a century to catch animals such as cattle, horses, and the like. In addition to traditional uses in the ranching and farming industries, rodeo ropes are essential pieces of equipment for persons competing in roping contests at ropings, rodeos, fairs, and other competitions. Since invention of synthetic twine such as polyester and nylon, the basic components and mechanical performance of rodeo ropes have changed very little.
Traditionally, each rope comprises a proximate end and a distal end, a knot, typically referred to as a honda knot or a honda on the proximate end, the honda forming an eye, having a loop formed by inserting the distal end through the eye, the loop having a circumference measured from the honda around the length of the loop back to the honda. A user holds the loop in one hand a generally consistent distance from the honda. This section of the rope between the honda and the hand is commonly referred to as the spoke. The roper holds the remaining coils and tail of the rope in the opposite hand. As seen in FIG. 1, conventionally, a competitive roper is mounted on a horse while pursuing an animal, such as a steer. The roper holds the rope having a loop formed through the eye formed by the honda in preparation for throwing the rope around the steer's horns, neck, or legs. Ropers' spoke lengths and loop circumferences vary depending on the roper's preferred roping style, the desired speed of the run, the physical characteristics of the animal being roped (i.e. long or short horns), and the roping conditions (i.e. indoors or outdoors, wind speed).
Conventionally, determination of loop size has relied on a competitor's feel and rough estimation about what size is needed in a rodeo rope without the precision of analytical methods. What is desired is a method of determining loop size which maps to a number of parameters to certain characteristics of a tip accelerator. Such method recognizes that, among other things, proper tip weight distribution is critical for optimum loop performance.